Today I’m surrounded by piles of sublimation shirt blanks just for you! I purchased about 25 different sublimation shirt blanks to rank them on several factors. In the end, I hope you come out of this with the best sublimation shirt for your crafts. If you have been searching for polyester shirts, this is the post for you. I know you will find one that will work for you!
Can’t watch the video or miss some of the steps? You can also follow along below!
Supplies Used
Here are the links to all of the shirts that are shown in the video. I am also breaking down what I like and don’t like about each one below.
Babies
- Artesprix Onesie
- Onesie from Amazon
Kids
- Artesprix Kids Shirt
- Kids Shirt from Amazon
- Port and Company Kids Shirt
- SportTek Kids Shirt (grey with white)
Ladies
- SportTek Grey Ladies Shirt
- Gildan Performance Shirt
- SportTek Light Grey Oversized Fit
- SportTek White V-Neck Long Sleeve
- Ladies Shirt from Amazon
- Hanes Polyester Shirt
- Cricut Shirts
- Sport-Tek Sleeveless V-neck
- Sport-Tek Tank Top
- Sport-Tek Grey Hooded
- Sport-Tek Full Zip Jacket (blue with white)
- Sport-Tek Full Zip Jacket
- Sport-Tek Lightweight 1/2 Zip
Mens & Unisex
- Artesprix Adult Shirt
- Port and Company 65% Polyester
- Port and Company 100% Polyester
- Vapor Apparel V-Neck
- Vapor Apparel Scoop Neck
- Vapor Apparel Polo with Collar
- Hoodie from Amazon
- Port and Company Hoodie
Ranking Factors
I’m going to rank the sublimation shirt blanks on five factors.
- Quality – this includes the ability to see through them because there’s nothing worse than seeing through that white shirt.
- Feel – I like the feel of cotton, however, you need polyester content for sublimation. If I can get a shirt that feels something like cotton, that’s the best of both worlds.
- Price – I tried to factor in the price of the shirt and the price of shipping.
- Fit – there is nothing worse than ordering a shirt thinking that it’s a large and it fits like a medium. I do have onesies, kids’ shirts, lady shirts, and then some that are unisex or men’s. I just had to look at the shirt and determine what I thought the fit would be based on my size.
- Polycount – most of these shirts are 100% polyester, but I do have like some 65% in there. I wanted to rank those a little bit lower because although they work for sublimation, they’re not optimal.
Those are the five factors and I used to rank each shirt. Now I’m going to run through each of the shirts and tell you a bit about what I like or don’t like. In the end, I will have my favorite sublimation shirt blanks in each category.
Sublimation Baby Onesies
In the onesie category, I actually only have two entries. One is from Artesprix and one is from Amazon. They are fairly similar on most of the ranking factors. However, the issue I have with the Amazon one is that the listing here says sublimation onesies and 100% polyester. When it got to me, there are zero tags on it that say that it’s 100% polyester. These types of products make me nervous so I’m ranking that one a little bit lower.
My winner for onesies, is the Artesprix onesie. It is very high quality, you can’t see through it, the price point is great, and the feel is like cotton. Now, if you want to take a chance with the Amazon one, it is cheaper and it does rival the Artesprix version. I’m just worried that you’re not always going to get 100% polyester all the time.
Sublimation Kids Shirts
I have four shirts in this category. Kids’ shirts range in size from toddler to older children. I don’t know if all of these shirts are available in all sizes. The first two are the same brands as the onesies above. The same thing happened with the Amazon listing. It said 100% polyester and sublimation, however, there are no markings anywhere on the shirt. I’m ranking it a little bit lower than the Artesprix because they seem to be fairly comparable in quality and I don’t know if I trust the Amazon listing. The Artesprix shirt is again a great feel and really high quality.
I have two shirts from Heat Transfer Warehouse as well. The first is from Port & Company. It does rank lower than the Artesprix version because you can see through it more and because it does feel like polyester. The last one is a Sport-Tek, also from Heat Transfer Warehouse. It is gray with details on the sleeves, so you would need a dark sublimation on it. You can really, really see through this version. It got ranked the lowest actually. It definitely does feel like polyester.
Out of the kids’ shirts, I would definitely recommend the Artesprix version or chance it with the Amazon version. If you want something different or moisture-wicking for sports, I would go with Heat Transfer Warehouse. The Artesprix and the Amazon both feel like cotton, but with the Heat Transfer Warehouse, you’re going to get that moisture-wicking sports material.
Ladies Sublimation Shirts and Blanks
In this category, I have shirts, hoodies, zipped pullovers, and tank tops. I have divided them up into a few categories. You really can’t go wrong with any of these shirts but you may find some that suit your project better than others.
Shirts
I’ll start with a few shirts from Heat Transfer Warehouse. First is a Sport-Tek 100% polyester that is gray with gray sleeves. The see-through nature of the shirt is what made me rank it really low. It also feels like polyester as it is that moisture-wicking sports material.
Next up from Heat Transfer Warehouse is one that got a much higher ranking and it is a Gildan Performance. I use these quite a bit actually. It is a little more see-through than some of the other ones that I’m going to show you, but it does feel like cotton. Gildan is also a name that I think everyone knows. It’s easier to go with a brand name that you know sometimes than one that you don’t. I do like these shirts and I use them quite a bit.
A few more options from Heat Transfer Warehouse. I have an oversized-fit Sport-Tek but again it is very see-through. Then I have a long sleeve white Sport-Tek. Surprisingly, I can see through the white less than the colors in this brand. This one does have a poly feel to it but I can barely see through it. The one I have is a v-neck, and I think I might have a scoop neck as well. Overall, it’s a very good shirt, if you want the polyester feel.
Back to some of my Amazon finds. This listing was another one of those that says sublimation shirt, 100% polyester. The shirt feels almost like cotton and you can hardly see through it. Again, it has no labels on the actual shirt that tells me that it’s 100% polyester. Artesprix makes a similar version to the kids’ version and the onesie that I showed you. I actually have that in the men’s section of this post as it is more of a unisex fit. I also picked up some Hanes polyester shirts from Amazon. These definitely feel like 100% polyester. However, you can barely see through it at all and it is good quality.
Cricut Shirts
Next up, let’s talk about the Cricut shirts. If you don’t know, Cricut has its own line of shirts. They’re intended for use with Infusible Ink, but you can use them with sublimation. They are 100% polyester and the feel of them is amazing. They’re also really high quality and you can hardly see through them. Plus they have white, white with black sleeves, gray, gray with darker sleeves, and so much more. There are a ton of options and sizes! I pull these out most of the time whenever I’m working on a sublimation project or working on a shirt to give to someone. The white is maybe a little more see-through than I like. The grays are really awesome and definitely my favorite. I would say to give the Cricut shirts a try, but you may want to size up one size.
Sleeveless and Tank Tops
Looking for sublimation sleeveless shirts and tank tops? Here are a few options! The first is a 100% polyester sleeveless Sport-Tek from Heat Transfer Warehouse. You can hardly see through it and it’s very high quality. It does have a polyester feel. I dropped it down a little bit on the ranking factors, but overall really good quality. If you’re looking for something for sports and workouts that doesn’t have sleeves, I highly recommend this one.
Next is a tank top from Heat Transfer Warehouse that is really similar to the sleeveless version above. It is really high quality, but it has that polyester sports feel. If you’re looking for a sublimation workout tank, definitely check out Heat Transfer Warehouse. They ranked really high, regardless of the polyester feel on those.
Speciality Sublimation Blanks
What about hoodies and jackets for ladies? NOTE: I do have some more specialty products in the men’s unisex category. First is a Sport-Tek long sleeve shirt with a hood and thumbholes. I really love this style, however, it does feel like polyester. It is also slightly see-through which made me rank it a little bit lower.
The next two are full zip jackets from Sport-Tek. One comes in different colors with white accents. The other is just plain white. I rank these really high as they’re super high quality. It does feel like a fleece or a polyester, but it is what I would expect with a full zip jacket like this. These are really thick, high-quality jackets. This brings a little something different that you can sublimate on!
Looking for something a little more lightweight? I have that for you too. This one is also from Sport-Tek, but it’s super lightweight and it’s a half-zip pullover. You can see through it a little bit, however, it really does feel like polyester. This probably is more of a polyester feel than I would like. I would prefer a little less polyester feel with something like this if I was making it for myself.
Unisex and Mens Sublimation Shirts and Blanks
Again, I have a huge wide variety in this category. So, whether you are looking for shirts with a color or pull-over hoodies, I have you covered! Keep reading so you know how to pick the best sublimation blank for your project!
Sublimation Shirt Blanks for Men
I actually talked about the Artesprix shirt during the women’s version, but I had it in the men’s pile. It is unisex sizing as well as fit on the adult shirt with this brand. However, it’s definitely one of my highest ranking shirts with very little see-through and it feels like cotton. If you’re looking for that cotton feel, I always recommend the Artesprix shirts.
Next is a few shirts from Heat Transfer Warehouse. First is this Port & Company that is only 65% polyester. The feel is amazing because it’s not 100% polyester but I did rank it a little bit lower because of it not being 100% polyester. I can’t really see through it either. Next up is that same Port & Company brand except it is 100% polyester. It is the same shirt but this one definitely feels like polyester. It’s really high quality, and I can’t really see through it. However, I did rank it a little bit lower because of the feel of the shirt itself. If you’re looking for that cotton feel, the Port & Company 100% polyester may not be for you.
Next, I ordered a few shirts from Conde (which sadly, is no longer in business). Conde carried a brand called Vapor Apparel. It is actually very similar to the Artesprix shirts. Vapor Apparel does carry a wide range of shirts. They carry some all the way from the cotton feel to more moisture-wicking and sports shirts. I ordered a couple of different ones. Vapor is one of my favorites for quality apparel. I know it’s not a brand name that you hear like Gildan or Hanes, but for sublimation shirts Vapor is a very good high-quality brand.
First is a scoop neck and v-neck that are the exact same shirt with a different cut. These both got the same score. They don’t exactly feel like cotton, but the feel is decent and they are really high quality. I also ordered a collared shirt from Conde and it’s the Vapor Apparel brand. It is definitely more of a moisture-wicking polyester feeling shirt, however, it is very high quality. Overall, it gets a high ranking, and if you’re looking for some different themes and colored shirts, they have a huge wide variety. These are just a few I pulled out. I don’t think you can go wrong with anything under the Vapor Apparel brand. If you find something you like, I would definitely try it.
Sublimation Hoodies
I have a few hoodies for you. The first one is an Amazon find and this one is definitely the find of the day. It does say 100% polyester on the label and I know I can sublimate on it. It is a gorgeous hoodie with a pocket on the front. It’s pretty thick so I can’t see through it and it feels really nice. It is one of my highest rankings of the entire batch of blanks.
The second hoodie I have is from Heat Transfer Warehouse. This is a Port & Company hoodie, and if you’re looking for something that would be in some colors that you could sublimate on, this one would definitely work. Again, it’s super high quality and I can’t see through it. Both of the hoodies have a similar feel, so it’s not exactly like cotton, but it’s definitely a material feeling that I would expect a hoodie to be. It’s a little bit slick like polyester, but I really like that for a hoodie product.
What Are the Best Sublimation Shirt Blanks?
Now, which sublimation shirt blanks do I personally use? With my sublimation crafts, I mostly stick with the shirts from Artesprix or the shirts from Cricut. I know I can get them quickly and they have a good feel to them. They are more like cotton than most of the other shirts and I really like the way the sublimation looks on those. Cricut and Artesprix are two of my favorites.
I also don’t think you can go wrong with anything from Vapor Apparel. If you want some variety, I would try some of the pieces that I showed. Heat Transfer Warehouse has great prices and I’m always impressed with how quick they ship to me. If you’re not wanting some of the Amazon bargains I found, Heat Transfer Warehouse is a great option. They ship quickly and have great pricing. Then you can get some things like those full zips or hoodies that are really cool that I can’t wait to sublimate on some of these blanks! Hopefully, this helps you pick out the right sublimation shirt blanks for your project!
You are Amazing!!!!
Do you know if recycled polyester makes a difference? I just picked up a kid’s shirt at WalMart with 44% polyester, 41% recycled polyester, 10% Lyocell and 5% Spandex….just wondering if you’ve had experience with “recycled” poly at all!
My heat press should come tomorrow….if I remember, I’ll update with my results after experiementing. 😉
I am not sure! Sorry!
So I have a question. I am trying to find the best white sublimation shirt that’s 65 percent polyester, and 35 cotton? I cannot find one for the life of me. The ones I have bought are see through.
I am not sure which one would be the best for you in this situation. I have shared my favorites in this post, unfortunately finding the perfect shirt is a matter of trying different ones until you find the one you like best.
Great find for sublimation projects—love these shirt blanks!